Medication and Treatment Carts Found Unlocked
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed that both a medication cart and a treatment cart were left unlocked and unattended in the facility. On two separate occasions, the medication cart was found unlocked by a resident room and the treatment cart was found unlocked near the nurse's station. Interviews with two LPNs confirmed that the carts were not secured at the time of observation. The Director of Nursing also stated that all medication carts should be locked when unattended. These findings indicate that the facility failed to ensure that drugs and biologicals were stored in locked compartments as required for all 62 residents identified in the facility census. No specific residents were identified as being directly involved or affected at the time of the observations, and no additional medical history or resident conditions were noted in the report.